Tekken 7 - Heart of the Damned
by EternallyAWorkInProgress
Summary: A possible storyline for Tekken 7. After the events of Tekken 6, the media pronounces Jin Kazama "dead" although he is only technically missing. Meanwhile, Heihachi has reclaimed his Zaibatsu but is staying out of the spotlight for mysterious reasons, and Lars discovers a way to potentially destroy the devil gene. His next course of action: Assembling a team to help his cause.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** What's up fanfiction readers? Been playing a bunch of TTT2 recently, and as such I was inspired to write what I thought would make a good plot line for Tekken 7. This is just the prologue, which I thought I'd post while finishing up Chapter 1. It takes place directly after the credits of Tekken 6. Read on amigos, and enjoy.

* * *

**Prologue**

Raven sat patiently in the front seat as his subordinate drove across the desert back in the direction of Azazel's temple. The ninja had just been informed by his superiors that a body had been recovered nearby the ruins of the final battle and he had been tasked to recover it. Whether the body belonged to Jin Kazama was too early to tell, but Raven knew that it would not be surprising if that was the case. The mysterious devil gene truly did seem to make an individual invulnerable...

...even if it was against their own will.

"Sir."

Raven turned his head slightly towards his driver. "We're here."

The duo left the vehicle and made their way towards the scene. A large section of the desert had been squared off and Raven recognized only the more established men of his unit inside its confines. They were surrounding what he assumed to be the body. He was not even questioned as he made his way through the barricade.

"So what's the verdict?" he asked impatiently.

The captain of the team stood up and joined him as he started towards the body. "It's him, sir. Jin Kazama. At least it looks like him. The body has his trademark hair and tattoo. Not only that, he appears to be breathing."

Raven sighed. Of course he was. As he and the captain reached the body, he turned it over and examined it.

It was definitely Jin. The specimen was riddled with fresh cuts and gashes and his remaining clothes were torn in many places, but there was no mistaking that stubborn ducktail, thick pair of eyebrows and set of bangs that seemed to never change shape. As the captain had said, the devil tattoo was also there on his arm, along with...other tattoos. Notably, there were now strange markings on Jin's forehead and upper torso, though he still looked completely unconscious.

The ninja turned to the captain, "What do we know about the other markings? I've never seen them before now."

The man shook his head, "We don't know much, though if I had to guess I'd say they were connected to the one on his arm. So they are likely part of the devil gene."

Raven stood back up and crossed his arms, "Move the body into our backseat and pack up yourselves. We're done here."

"Understood," nodded the captain.

The man then ordered two of his subordinates to gather up Jin's body and load it up into Raven's vehicle, which they did with obvious nervousness. As they were cleaning up, Raven tapped his earpiece to call his superiors.

"It's Kazama's body. How do we proceed?"

"_And he is alive as we suspected?"_

"Yes."

"_Good. Bring him back to headquarters. We will need to detain him as quickly as possible before we begin interrogating him. He will try to escape the first chance he gets, so we're sending a helicopter to get you about 50km south of your current location. If I were you, I'd put more of your men with you as you transfer the body, and keep the rest of them as close as possible." _

Raven nodded to himself, "Understood."

When all was said and done, the ninja asked four more soldiers to accompany him as they transferred Jin's body back to the rendezvous point. As his superior had ordered, he kept the rest of the convoy no more than a couple meters behind their own vehicle at all times. The drive went surprisingly smooth; Jin made no signs of movement other than the slight elevation of his chest from breathing.

At least, the drive _was _going smooth...until Raven spotted a familiar face.

Through the window of his vehicle the ninja spotted a man in the distance standing in the way of his convoy, blocking the road. He was wearing a rather nice dress shirt and white pants, which admittedly looked a bit out of place considering their location, and was leaning against his black SUV. He also noticed a woman beside him with her arms crossed, who's attire looked much more appropriate for the desert.

_Zafina, _he recalled vaguely.

Raven grabbed his radio and pressed a button to message the other car. "Stop the convoy, and stay in your vehicle." He then turned to his men in his own car before opening his door, "You too."

Lars Alexandersson and Zafina made their way towards the ninja, meeting halfway between their respective vehicles.

The rebel commander outstretched his hand, "Raven. Good to see you aga-"

"I told you that next time we meet, we might be enemies. I meant it too."

Lars hesitantly lowered his hand, "Would that day be today?"

Raven looked between the two of them for a moment, "Not yet, but if you don't move out of our way it might be very soon. My convoy and I need to get somewhere rather quick."

"Precious cargo?" asked Lars with a smirk.

Raven said nothing.

"We know you have him, Raven. And you can keep him if you really want. In return we just want a moment of your time."

"I don't remember owing you anything. You're wasting my time."

"This bickering is wasting ours as well," added Zafina, "there is an issue of great importance we must discuss."

There was tense silence for a couple moments before Raven reluctantly relented. "Make it quick."

Zafina nodded and knelt down towards the ground. She produced a dagger from her belt and drew a perfect circle in the sand.

"There is a story of my people. It says that centuries ago, before civilization blossomed, humans were savages that brutally murdered and destroyed each other in order to gain superiority and thrive. The gods, in disgust of our actions, produced a being that would force us to atone. The being's name was Azazel – a demon with no sense of compassion or understanding. It only knew suffering and death and made humans its slaves for seemingly eternity."

"I said make it quick," Raven reminded.

Zafina continued on, apparently not even hearing the ninja's warning. "The source of this demon's power was said to be an orb nestled deep within it's heart. This orb was known to my people as "The Heart of the Damned", and it contained what is still thought to be immeasurable power. The only thing that was certain was that this orb was a beacon for all the negative energy in the world. As such, Azazel's life force was driven solely by the negative emotions it perceived around it. Thus, the only way to defeat Azazel was to learn compassion and understanding, thereby weakening the orb's powers and in turn the being itself."

Lars let out a chuckle, "Kill it with kindness, as they say."

Zafina stood back up and smiled, "A lesson taught to civilization through my ancestors, or so the story goes. With positive emotions on our side, my people were able to weaken Azazel enough so that we could temporarily overpower the beast and successfully imprison it, where it remained for centuries...until recently."

"How is this history lesson important information?" asked a now highly irritated Raven. He was very close to forcing the two out of his way himself.

Zafina re-crossed her arms, "The Heart of the Damned has the power to absorb all negative energy – including the curse that afflicts the Mishima Clan. If it is destroyed..."

"...the devil gene becomes a distant memory, and the world is saved." Lars finished.

Raven let out a long, outstretched sigh. "So that's your next course of action? Find a mythical orb that you're not sure even exists and destroy it?"

Lars just smirked and nodded, "That's right."

"And who's to say it wasn't destroyed when Jin killed that beast? Didn't you say it was inside Azazel's heart?"

"The orb cannot be destroyed by mortal means," Zafina pointed out, "but there must be some way to shatter it. The gods would not create such an evil object without a way to rid the world of it."

"Look Raven," Lars leaned forward towards the ninja slightly, "I know this is a bit out there. But I saw that thing myself back in that temple...we both did. You know as well as I do that the orb's existence is plausible, and if we find it and destroy it then this whole thing is over. And then you can go back to jumping across rooftops or whatever it is you do with your free time."

The ninja regarded the two people in front of him in silence. It was true; this theory was not only ridiculous, but was also a completely separate mission from his current orders. In other words, even if Raven _wanted_ to entertain the idea, he simply wouldn't be able to. Unless his superiors of course-

"_Do it." _

Raven's eyes widened from behind his glasses and he turned away from Lars and Zafina.

"What?"

"_We saw that thing too, you know. We have visual confirmation that it existed. It's at least worth looking into." _

Raven said nothing.

"_Raven." _

"Still here."

"_Good. Bring the body back to us as planned, but not before confirming your re-allegiance to the rebel commander." _

Raven sighed, "Understood." He then turned back to Lars and Zafina, who to his annoyance, had small smirks on their faces. "Looks like we're allies again. But don't get too comfortable, things could change at any moment."

"Welcome back to the rebellion, Raven."

"I'm not part of your rebellion. I'm just reluctantly part of your cause."

Lars shrugged, "Well either way, it's a pleasure to-"

A fierce explosion suddenly sounded throughout the area. The Swede's eyes widened, but only for a moment as he realized what had happened. With a sudden burst of speed, Lars and Raven bolted towards the ninja's convoy, where one of his vehicles had suddenly exploded. Zafina followed closely behind them.

Raven's men were scattered. His captain and the remaining men were shooting at something, but the trio couldn't see anything yet behind the thick smoke. Raven picked up the pace and soon arrived at the scene where his fears were confirmed:

Jin had woken up.

The unmistakable sight of horns and black feathered wings now accompanied the former head of the Mishima Zaibatsu as he held Raven's captain above the ground by his throat. The man's body looked completely lifeless as Jin dropped it to the ground. He turned around and pierced the Raven, Lars and Zafina with dull, grey eyes. Instead of attacking however Devil Jin simply laughed manically before leaping up high into the air before anyone had time to react.

And within seconds, he was gone.

"Ugh," Raven groaned, "what now?"

Lars, who looked less upset at the turn of events, motioned towards his own unscathed SUV. "I say you tag along with us, and I'll let you know what our next move is."

Raven shook his head, "I said I'm working alone. But I wouldn't be opposed to hearing what it is you have planned before I leave here."

"I've met some people throughout these past couple months while traveling with Alisa that would make good candidates in making a search party of sorts for the orb, which could be anywhere in the world by now."

The ninja crossed his arms, "Recruitment? Who's first on the list?"

The Swede smirked, "Well, let's just say if you need to get a hold of me I'll be in Monaco."

* * *

**A/N:** As we start the story in the next chapter, Lars starts assembling a team...stay tuned!


	2. Chapter 1 - Kick Start

**A/N:** Thanks to those who reviewed already! I should mention I do work close to full time now so updates will not be scarce but will need to work around my schedule. This chapter deals with Lars's business in Monaco, my rendition of Nina's fate at the end of Tekken 6 and Xiaoyu and Miharu's introduction. Reviews are motivation!

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Chapter 1 - Kick Start

**_Arabian Desert. Two weeks prior to the discovery of Jin Kazama's body._**

Nina Williams watched as Lars and Raven departed will Alisa's body from the temple. Shortly afterward, she noticed a chopper in the distance coming towards her.

"About damn time," she muttered in annoyance. She was getting sick of being in this baron desert, not to mention her boss just apparently killed himself. So yeah, that was something her and her colleagues probably needed to discuss.

A Tekken Force operative exited the aircraft to greet Nina as she walked up to the chopper. "Hello, Ms. Williams." Nina noticed that he didn't salute her as he was normally supposed to, but she let it slide. She hated formalities anyway.

"Let's get a move on. Jin won't be joining us on account of he just threw himself into a bottomless pit."

"Actually, I only came to deliver a message. I'm afraid you are not going to be joining us on the chopper."

The assassin wanted to laugh in the man's face for trying to give _her _orders, but she respected his guts so she humored him. "Not that I really care about your position in our military, comrade, but you're no more than a ranking officer for the Mishima Zaibatsu. I on the other hand will likely be taking over this organization now that Jin is out of the picture, so if you don't mind, I'd like to board my fucking chopper."

"I beg to differ, Williams."

Nina's eyes widened considerably at the familiar voice from behind the soldier. She glanced over his shoulder at the new figure that had exited the chopper.

_You can't be serious._

Heihachi Mishima, clad in his trademark tiger coat despite the blazing heat, stood right there with his arms crossed. He had a smirk on his face that even Nina, who was normally devoid of most emotion, almost found infuriating.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

Heihachi let out a dry laugh, "Isn't it obvious? I'm taking back what's mine. I just came here to personally fire you and to see if that meddling half-son of mine is still lurking around here."

Nina mirrored the old man's actions and crossed her arms, "Well you just missed him. And you can't just fire me...it doesn't work like that."

"Actually," the Mishima walked right in front of Nina's face, "it does. You didn't really think that I was just going to sit back and let my grandson take what I've worked my entire life for, did you? I have something that you will never have, Nina: influence. And I have enough of it to pull whatever strings I want in regards to this company."

Even though the man was literally towering over her at that moment, the blonde didn't even falter an inch. She didn't know what intimidation was.

"And something that _you _will never have," she countered, "is clearly intelligence. You think we didn't change all the access codes, passwords and security protocols in case you decided to rise up against us during the war? We also weeded out any double agents you had spying on us while you spent time wishing you were back in our shoes. You might be a Mishima, but your power is gone."

Heihachi just let out another laugh, except this time it was more of a full blown bellow that seemed to reverberate off the remaining walls of the temple. Nina's eye twitched.

"HAHAHA! You seriously believe that my dedicated personnel, some of whom have been with me for over twenty years, would jump ship so easily when the going got tough? That is not the Mishima way! And it is certainly not the way for those who I employ. I looked into your records: If you and Jin even had the slightest bit of this 'intelligence' that you claim I lack, you would have spent more time and money organizing a brand new military instead of keeping the same old soldiers. I am a god to not only my employees, but everything else the Mishima Zaibatsu entails! It is my life's work!"

With that, Heihachi rose his hand high up into the air and produced a single, but loud, finger snap.

At once, dozens of Tekken Force soldiers arrived from behind the remaining temple walls and almost instantly surrounded Nina before she had time to even think about fleeing. They all had their rifles pointed straight at her as Heihachi's smirk somehow grew even wider.

And for the first time since she woke up from cryosleep, Nina Williams felt a tinge of fear.

The former (and now clearly once again) head of the Mishima Zaibatsu turned around and started back to the chopper as Nina cautiously took in her new surroundings. "It's like I've said many times in the past, Nina: The only way I'm truly letting go of this company is if I'm as dead as you're own father. And killing me is no easy task, especially for a worthless woman such as yourself."

It took all of Nina's willpower not to lunge at the man as he walked away at the mention of her late father. She still had trouble with it, but he and Anna were the only memories Nina had been able to retain since waking up, and over the years she had slowly regained what little she had left of him. If she attacked Heihachi now however, she'd be joining her father very soon.

And dying was something she wanted to do only once this bastard's head was separated from his shoulders, and maybe Anna's as well.

Heihachi leaned towards another operative before re-boarding his chopper. "Kill her."

The man nodded at once and raised his hand to issue the order. Nina counted the seconds.

_Three _

The soldier's surrounding her steadied their guns.

_Two_

They re-positioned their fingers on the triggers.

_One_

Nina took a deep breath. The only thing that was heard afterward was gunfire.

* * *

**_Monaco. Present time. _**

"A safe house?"

Frederick Rochefort sat back in his chair and regarded the man across the table in thought. The proud, yet humble founder and current CEO of Rochefort Enterprises was one of the most powerful men in Europe. By global standards, Frederick's company was still a well known name but was often overshadowed by the Mishima Zaibatsu's exploits and dominance. Since the war however, business was looking up again for the Rocheforts, and they were in high spirits.

This was why Frederick was a bit suspicious of the man in front of him. He claimed to be the leader of a growing rebellion against the Mishima Zaibatsu – something that Frederick was very much in support of, considering the fact that Jin Kazama almost bought out Rochefort Enterprises completely. The man's request however had admittedly caught the Monegasque native off guard:

He was asking for protection.

"I'm not sure I understand, Mr. Alexandersson-"

"Just Lars," the Swede insisted.

Frederick nodded, "Very well. As I was saying, I am a bit confused at your request. If you're leading a rebellion, why would you want to stay here in Monaco?"

Lars shook his head politely, "Not Monaco. I was thinking a place a bit closer to home for me, specifically Stockholm."

The older man smiled, then took a sip of his tea. Of course Lars was Swedish; his name pretty much gave it away, not to mention his politeness and patience was something to be admired. The only thing that threw Frederick a bit was the fact that physically the rebel commander also held some more distinct Japanese characteristics. In the back of his mind he entertained the idea of Lars being more than just against the Mishima Clan. Perhaps they were related in some way...

"You are a very influential man across Europe, Mr. Rochefort," Lars continued, "You must have property of some sort in Sweden."

"I do," Frederick confirmed, "but whether I can provide it to you or not is still up in the air. You still haven't answered my question, you see."

The Swede let out a light laugh and reached down to pull out his laptop. He then pulled his chair around beside Frederick as he brought up a screen showing what looked to be a map of sorts detailing the Mishima Zaibatsu's current branches throughout the world.

"As you and probably many others know, the Zaibatsu's main head office is in the heart of Tokyo, but there are branches in almost every part of the world, even Australia. There are only a few dozen countries left in the world that are not home to at least a small military base for the organization. These countries include Sweden, Canada and until recently, Monaco."

Frederick shook his head in disgust. He hated Jin Kazama for getting him involved in this mess.

"Due to this," the rebel commander went on, "my rebellion is constantly on guard in Japan. We are not able to plan concise strategies if we wish to attack or sabotage the Zaibatsu in any way, because their influence in that country is simply overwhelming. The only reason my rebellion still stands is because we only formed shortly after Jin Kazama took over. Before that I was simply a commander in the Tekken Force."

"At your age?" Frederick inquired.

Lars chuckled, "Yeah."

"You must be remarkably talented."

"Precisely why I'm not with them anymore. Well, that and the fact that I don't at all agree with what Jin Kazama did these past 8 months. But that's neither here nor there. The point of all of this is that I can't move my rebellion out of Japan – it'd just be too much hassle and it would draw too much attention. If I had a safe house in a neutral country like Sweden however, I could actually get things done without having to always look over my shoulder, and wire information I gather back to my officers in Japan."

The Swede then smirked to himself. _Not to mention I could also plan missions that are off the record._

The Monegasque native stood up and started pacing the room.

"So," he placed his hand on his chin in thought, "what you are basically saying is that you have a plan to take down the Zaibatsu then, Lars?"

"Maybe not take them down," Lars admitted, "but I do think I have a way to solve this crisis. I just need a place to sort everything out with the right people."

Frederick eyed the Swede suspiciously, "The right people?"

Lars nodded slowly. Now came the part he was nervous about.

"I believe you have a daughter, Mr. Rochefort?"

* * *

**_Kyoto, Japan. The next day. _**

Miharu Hirano held onto her purse tightly as she stood outside Kyoto University. The 19-year old was starting out as a freshman today with her best friend, Ling Xiaoyu. The two girls were completely baffled at how they managed to get accepted to the university, as it was one of the most prestigious higher education facilities in Japan.

"Woah...Xiao, look at this place!"

Her pig-tailed friend let out a long sigh, "Yeah..."

Miharu frowned. The normally cheerful Chinese girl had been borderline depressed for the better part of these last two weeks, ever since the two friends had the unfortunate luck to witness the news where Jin Kazama had been pronounced dead. Since then, Miharu had been doing everything in her power to try and cheer up her friend – She took Xiao to her favourite amusement parks, bought her dinner, got along with her bodyguard Panda and never once brought up the topic of boys (which was a very difficult thing for Miharu to refrain from doing).

But still, the most Xiaoyu could manage lately was only a small smile.

It was maddening, but Miharu didn't hold it against her friend in the slightest. She knew how much Jin meant to Xiao, especially considering the Chinese girl usually kept it together way better than Miharu 90% of the time. So for her to still be willing to do things with Miharu despite finding out about her dear friend's death was actually kind of amazing.

Miharu took Xiao's hands in her own, "C'mon, Xiao. I know that you've been really upset lately and I don't blame you, but this is a new stage in both of our lives! And how awesome is it that we're still both going to school together?"

Xiaoyu let out a little giggle, which was like music to Miharu's ears. "It's pretty freakin' awesome."

"That's the spirit!"

"And you forgot the best part, Miharu," she winked at her best friend, "no uniforms."

The auburn-haired girl adjusted the purple cap on her head and made a V-sign. "You know it!"

"So, uh," Xiao scratched the back of her head, "where's our first class again?"

Miharu whipped out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and unfolded it. "Um...says here that we need to go to room 304 – robotics 101. Wait...robotics?! Why did we take that?! It's gonna kick our butts!"

Xiaoyu facepalmed, "Don't look at me! You were the one who picked most of our courses since we have pretty much all the same interests and we're good at the same things...mostly."

Her friend narrowed her eyes, "Is that a P.E joke, Xiao?"

The Chinese girl shrugged, "Maaaaaaaybe."

"Jerk. I definitely didn't sign us up for _robotics _though."

"Robotics? That would be my class."

The girls whipped around to see a peculiar looking man. He was dressed in a frilly (and decidedly sparkly) purple dress shirt, tight black pants, purple tinted aviators and his hair was dyed, you guessed it, purple.

"Uh...right," managed Miharu, "well we signed up as a mistake so-"

The man held up his index finger and wagged it, "Nonsense! Robotics is truly a rewarding class for all involved. Surely your accidental registration was a blessing in disguise!"

"I doubt that..." muttered Xiao.

"I should introduce myself," the strange 'professor' took a slight bow, "Violet, at your service."

"That explains the wardrobe," blurted Miharu before she could stop herself. She covered her mouth with her hands, causing Xiao to start laughing.

Violet laughed as well though, which made the girls feel less awkward. Something about this guy just made you feel laid back and at ease. Maybe it was the air of confidence he had despite looking absolutely absurd.

"And what should I call you ladies?" Violet inquired.

"Ling Xiaoyu."

"Miharu Hirano."

The man flashed them a brilliant smile, "Excellent! Now then, if you'd come with me I will escort you to my class."

The girls looked at each for a moment, then at the huge campus, then back at Violet. About thirty seconds passed before they finally relented. "Alright."

They turned to start heading further onto the campus property, but to their surprise, Violet started heading back towards the school parking lot.

"Hey!" exclaimed Miharu, "What's the big idea?"

Violet looked confused for a moment, but then bowed apologetically. "Ah, my apologies. I should explain. You see, I am not only a robotics professor but also the genius behind Violet Systems – the largest robotics empire in the entire world!" He finished his proclamation with a twist and snap, earning a giggle from Miharu and a facepalm from Xiao.

"Anyways," he continued, "all students will be having a tour of my Kyoto branch today instead of class, which happens to just be down the road. I promise it will be an experience like no other!"

The girls locked eyes with each other again. They had two options: They could either decline the offer, look for a robotics class on campus that might not exist and potentially be late, or they could follow this strange man that they've never met before into a lavish limo and potentially never see the light of day again.

The first option seemed better.

"Uh, sorry Mr. Violet," Xiao started awkwardly, "but I think we'll pass on-"

They were interrupted by the rather obnoxious ring tone on Violet's cellphone. He took it out of his small pocket and smiled.

"One moment, ladies."

He put the phone to his ear and walked a few feet away from the girls.

"_Lee." _

"I'm kind of in the middle of something here, Lars. Your timing is decidedly _not_ excellent."

"_Sorry about that, friend. How are you doing with Xiaoyu?" _

Violet looked back to the girls, who were looking rather impatient. "They seem unwilling to budge, though I haven't the slightest idea why." He heard Lars audibly groan on the other line.

"_...are you in your Violet disguise?" _

"Of course."

"_Look, just get it done. School records from Mishima Polytechnic say that Ling Xiaoyu and Jin Kazama attended school at the same time before he left, and she also confronted me about Jin a couple months ago when Alisa and I visited the school ourselves." _

"If I may ask Lars, why is Jin still a factor in this?"

Xiaoyu's head snapped up back towards Violet. Did she just hear that correctly?

"_Raven found his body. He was breathing...then he woke up. This was four days ago. We think he's going after the orb." _

Violet's eyes widened from behind his aviators, "Jin is still alive?!"

"_Keep your voice down! We don't want that information going out into the public eye yet-" _

Violet never got to hear the rest of what Lars was saying, because Xiaoyu had literally yanked the phone straight out of his hand.

"Who is this?" She demanded. "And is Jin really alive? Jin Kazama right? That's who you're talking about, right?"

"_Uh...yes. That's who I'm talking about. And my name is Lars, though you've actually met me before. At Mishima Polytechnic. You attacked us...along with your Panda."_

"Oh...heh, hey. So...about Jin..."

"_I'm sorry Xiaoyu, I will explain everything later. Right now I would like you to accompany Violet to Violet Systems. I assure you he is not as dangerous as he might seem at first glance. Could you also hand the phone back to him for me please?" _

Xiao was silent for a moment as she looked behind her. Violet looked like a tiny bit annoyed at her blatantly ripping his phone out of his hand, while Miharu just looked incredibly confused and worried. She felt bad for her best friend; Miharu had been looking forward to university for a long time now. It was all she ever talked about, and Xiaoyu had a suspicion that she was heading to more than a robotics class if she accompanied Violet to his company.

"Just one question," she started, "can my best friend Miharu come?"

Lars was silent on the other line for a moment. Xiaoyu held her breath.

"_If she is willing. But I would advise you to first find out what it is I would like you to do for me." _

The Chinese girl sighed in relief, "Sounds good. Thanks, Lars. Oh...and you're sure Jin is alive?"

"_We will discuss it more in person." _

"...Okay."

With that, Xiao sheepishly dropped the phone back into Violet's waiting hand.

"...I apologize for that." Lars laughed on the other end.

"_No problem, I'm glad I got that out of the way now." _

"How are things in Monaco?"

"_I secured the safe house in Stockholm, but it looks like Mr. Rochefort isn't going to budge on his daughter joining our cause. I'm heading over there now to make sure everything is in order, and maybe visit my mother's grave." _

"Excellent."

"_Lee..." _

Violet furrowed his brow at the somber tone Lars's voice had taken. "Everything alright?"

"_Alisa...where are we with her repairs?" _

"We are...progressing. Even I can't figure out some of her more internal damages as of yet though. I've been thinking about an alternative, but that is something we should discuss in person."

It was barely audible this time, but Violet heard Lars sigh again.

"_Right. Thank you for all your help, Lee. I'll see you soon." _

"Bye, Lars."

Violet turned back to Xiaoyu and Miharu, that brilliant smile gracing his features once again.

"Shall we, ladies?"

* * *

**A/N:** I hope I didn't bore you too much with the scene in Monaco. I needed to get that out of the way...I promise the rest of the chapters will be more exciting. Introductions to come in future chapters: Asuka, Lili, Kazuya, Leo, Steve, Hwoarang and the whereabouts of the orb! Updates should arrive later this week, and remember to review!


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